Medicine Miseries
by Beth C
Summary: Summary: Bo has now visited the doctor in Atlanta. However the medications seem to make things worse instead of better. This is the third part in the Bo’s Allergy series. Please read the others first or this won’t make too much sense.
1. Default Chapter

_**Medicine Miseries**_

**By Beth C**

Summary: Bo has now visited the doctor in Atlanta. However the medications seem to make things worse instead of better. This is the third part in the Bo's Allergy series. Please read the others first or this won't make too much sense.

Rating: PG

Feedback: Sure. The more the better and the more I will write.

Dislaimer: Not mine. I sure wish they were. WB owns them, I think.

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****

Atlanta was not the place Bo Duke wanted to be right now. He would rather have been back at the Duke farm bailing hay or even cleaning out the barn. He would even settle for painting the darn thing just to get away from the place he was at now. He rubbed absently at the sore spot on his arm where that doctor had stuck him with a very large needle to draw blood for some tests.

Normally he didn't mind pain, he certainly saw more than his share when dealing with Rosco and Boss Hogg. However needles were something he could certainly do without. He didn't like them and never would.

Right now he was sitting in the General Lee with Luke outside the pharmacy where Uncle Jessie had told them to stop. They had just left the doctor's office with some prescriptions to fill.

Bo hadn't liked the doctor either. He preferred Dr. Applebee to most any doctor, but Uncle Jessie had insisted that Bo come see a specialist about his allergies. Dr. Applebee was good at general medicine, but he was no specialist. Dr. Martin was nice enough to Bo, but he had used big words that Bo didn't quite understand when discussing the allergies to him. Bo hadn't wanted to appear ignorant, so he had nodded and agreed to most of what was said. Luke and Uncle Jessie had been outside in the waiting room during the main examination.

It had been embarrassing enough to strip down to his underwear and sit on the cold metal table that had been covered with a thin sheet of paper. Then the doctor had come in and Bo had been poked, prodded and questioned nearly to death as the doctor touched different parts of his body and made notes on a clipboard. Bo had been lucky enough not to have been sneezing the whole time, but he sure felt like he could have. His nose had been tickling and itching ever since leaving the farm. Finally after what had seemed like forever, Bo had been allowed to dress and join his cousin while Uncle Jessie was called into the doctor's main office.

When his uncle finally came out he had three small pieces of paper in his hand. He had gone to the receptionist and Bo watched with a sinking heart as Uncle Jessie paid for the visit to the doctor with the hard earned crop money.

Now they were outside the pharmacy where his uncle was most certainly paying more money for some pills. Bo had been told there were three prescriptions that he needed to get filled. Uncle Jessie had insisted that they do it today.

Bo rubbed at the itch in his nose. Sitting outdoors as they were was driving his sinuses crazy. The city was filled with pollution, pollen, and unusual city smells that made Bo want to just roll up the windows in the General and turn on the air.

In order to distract his mind from his current situation he began drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. That didn't help much and he found himself massaging his nose again as the tickles grew worse.

Luke sighed. He had been watching Bo fidget for nearly thirty minutes. "Will you quit that?"

"Quit what?" Bo asked while pinching his nostrils together in an attempt to force the oncoming sneezes to back off.

"Fidgeting. Uncle Jessie should be out soon." Luke replied while turning to look again at the pharmacy doors. How long did it take to fill some bottles with pills anyway?

"I am..." he wrinkled up his nose then rubbed it again. Great. Now it was starting to drip. He sniffed harshly and tried to continue. "Am n-not," he wriggled his nose a bit and knew that he was fighting a losing battle, but he had not sneezed all morning and was not about to start now. "Not fidgeting." He finished at last the sentence he had been trying to say. He sniffed again and swallowed, then rubbed at his eyes which were starting to tear up.

Luke had to hold back a smile. He could tell Bo was fighting an ever growing urge to sneeze. As much as he disliked provoking his cousin's misery, he was indeed bored. Besides, if Bo would just sneeze and get it over with, he probably would feel better. "Well, what would you call it then?"

Bo tossed his cousin an amused look before turning quickly away to swipe at the underside of his nose with the back of his hand. He had forgotten to grab the handkerchiefs that Jessie had put out for him this morning. "I call it," he paused and quickly sniffed. "be-being bo-bored." He had just barely held back the sneeze that threatened him. He knew Luke was watching him and he tried to appear nonchalant. "What do y-you suggest," he paused to wipe and sniff again, "suggest we do?"

Luke patted down his jacket until he located the pocket in which he had stuffed the handkerchiefs that Bo had forgotten to grab. He pulled one out and passed it over to his cousin. "I suggest that you do something about all that sniffing."

Bo's grimaced as he saw what was being offered to him. Leave it to Luke to remember. He took the soft cloth and brought it to his face. Without another word he blew his nose. Unfortunately that had the side effect of making the suppressed tickles worse.

Bo finally gave up fighting and pressed the cloth to his face as he relaxed the muscles and closed his eyes. "_HehheChIshhh!! KHET-Chhhhh!_" He took in a breath of air but the tickle was still lingering, forcing its way out of his system. "_hah-Hahchuhh!!_" His blond hair was tossed forward with the force of the strong sneeze. Once released, Bo found himself unable to reign in the remaining sneezes. His eyes squeezed shut as they burst out of him. _"HahChuhh!! KEHT-Chhhh! Heh-EhhShooo!"_

Luke waited a moment until he was sure that Bo was done. "Bless you. You okay?"

Bo nodded as he blew his nose again. "Thanks." Satisfied that the tickles were gone for the moment, he stuffed the balled up hanky into the front pocket of his jeans.

Both boys were interrupted by the sound of something being put on the top of the car. Luke looked out the window to see Uncle Jessie standing there. Luke slid easily out the window. "You done?"

Jessie nodded and took the bag back. He looked at Bo and then tossed it in the window where it landed right into the younger boy's lap. Luke then helped his uncle into the car and in the back seat before climbing back inside himself.

Bo had opened the bag and was examining the bottles. "I sure hope you are gonna tell me which ones to take and when." Bo felt a sharp tickle rise and was unable to pull the hanky out in time. He turned away and pressed the back of his hand to his nose. "_Heh-KESHhhhh!_" he sneezed harshly. _"HahChuhhh!"_

"God bless," Jessie said and reached into the front seat for the bag. He took one bottle out and read the label then put it back. He took out the second bottle and scanned the label. "You can start with one of these." He opened it and shook out a single small pill, which he handed to Bo before closing the bottle up again.

"What is it?" Bo asked while studying the small pink and white pill.

"It's an anti-histamine," Jessie told him. "It'll help you stop sneezing so much. Go on, swallow it."

Bo popped the pill in his mouth and swallowed. It slid down his throat easily.

"Good boy," Jessie said. "It'll take about a half-hour to really kick in. That's accordin to that there pharmacist."

Bo nodded and shook his head as he suppressed the urge to sneeze again. He reached down and started up the General. "Let's head home, shall we?"

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Twenty minutes into the ride home, Bo started feeling drowsy. The horizon swam before his eyes. All he wanted to do was lay down for a few minutes until his head cleared. He felt like he had downed one too many at the Boars Nest.

He shook his head to clear it and realized that the General Lee was starting to drift out of his lane. He quickly corrected, and realized within moments that he was drifting again. He was having a hard time keeping the white lines of the road from dancing in front of his eyes.

Luke was the first to notice. "Bo? You alright?"

Bo shook his head and blinked his eyes. Just ten minutes of sleep, that was all he needed. Just to rest his eyes for a bit. They started to slide closed and he quickly jerked them back open.

Luke reached over and shook Bo. "Cuz? Why don't you pull over?" He reached one hand over to the wheel and helped Bo guide the car into the breakdown lane.

Bo watched with fascinated interest as the horizon dipped in front of his eyes. Instinctively, he stepped on the brake, as if doing so would steady his view. Once the car was stopped, his head leaned forward and rested on the steering wheel as his eyes closed. Luke shifted into park and turned the car off.

Luke glanced into the back seat where Uncle Jessie was watching Bo with concern. "Well, we better mark those pills 'no driving.' He can't keep awake long enough to focus on anything." The older man said with a wry grin.

Luke nodded. "That's for sure." He climbed out of the window and walked around the car to the driver's side. This was going to be a chore. He needed to get Bo into the passenger's seat. What would wake his cousin long enough to get him to move?

He smiled and stuck his head into the window. "Bo! Watch out! You're gonna drive us into a ditch!" He shouted practically in his cousin's ear.

Bo jerked awake and grabbed for the steering wheel, only to find the car parked on the side of the road. He looked around, confused and found Luke laughing his ass off outside the car. "That wasn't funny," he remarked while trying to shake the cobwebs out of his vision.

Luke settled down and nodded. "Sorry, Cuz. Now slide over so we can go home in once piece."

Bo took one look out the window and the still dipping horizon. Ugh, now he felt carsick. He swallowed down a lump in his throat and slid over to the passenger side of the car. Home sounded very good right about now.

Luke hopped into the drivers seat. He nodded to the back seat. "What say you to getting Rip Van Winkle here home to bed?"

"I say it sounds like a good idea." The reply came back.

Bo nodded and rested his head on his arm that was lying on the doorframe. "It sounds good to me as well." His eyes slid shut.

Luke sighed and started the car. If this was the reaction Bo was going to have to medication, this was not looking very good to his future. He drove off and touched his cousin lightly on the arm. "Get some rest, Bo."

Bo didn't reply, as he was already fast asleep.

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	2. Four Days Later

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Four days later, Bo was beginning to wonder if the medications were doing any good at all. The first one he found out made him drowsy as heck. He caught himself nodding off at the weirdest times, such as in the middle of chores or dinner.

The second one didn't seem to do anything for him at all. It didn't clear his head, nor did it stop his very sneezy reactions any. If anything, it made them worse as after taking it, he would break out into fits that left him gasping for air, and congested. The first time that had happened, Daisy had jumped in alarm, ready to haul Bo over to the Tri-Counties hospital as Bo's fit had reached over 35 straight sneezes. He had been unable to talk, just basically gasp for air as his body shook and convulsed with the ferocity of the fit.

When it had ended, his eyes were swollen and red, his nose had been blocked and he felt dizzy from the lack of oxygen to his brain. Thinking it had been a fluke, he had tried the medication again and got the same result, but this time in front of Luke, who had his tight blue jeans nearly scared off him as he hauled his cousin out of the Boars Nest and into fresh air.

Luke had stood by, while Bo had sneezed repeatedly, unsure of what to do. Bo had rested one hand on the General as he sneezed harshly over and over again towards the ground, giving up on covering them up after the first 12 or so.

Finally the fit had subsided, and he wearily collapsed against the car, white dots dancing in front of his eyes as he fought to keep from passing out. When he recovered enough to finally stand straight, he saw Luke looking like he was about to haul his cousin to the nearest ambulance as his blue eyes conveyed his fear for Bo's health.

The third medication had left Bo feeling very nauseated, and the first time he took that, he spent the next hour hunched over the toilet bowl, very happy to have indoor plumbing. That experience alone was more than enough to keep Bo from taking that medication again. Sneezing fits he could handle, even feeling drowsy was livable. Hunched over the toilet bowl, gagging his lungs out while revisiting his most recent meal was out of the question.

Which left him basically back where he had started. Either take one of the three medicines that his Uncle had spend good money for, or not take them at all and live with his allergies. The one that made him drowsy was the one that worked the best, as it basically stopped him from sneezing at all, but it also but a crimp in his life as he was always looking for a place to rest his head for a bit. Which definitely left driving the General out of the question.

Bo sighed wearily as he leaned against the side of the barn. He had gotten up extra early today to start his chores before the sun came out and dried the morning dew off of everything and made his allergies worse. He hadn't taken any of his medications today and now he was feeling guilty. Uncle Jessie had meant well, in trying to help, yet Bo couldn't bring himself to tell his Uncle that none of the meds were really working. How could he disappoint his Uncle like this?

Finding no answers to his questions and doubts, he picked up the pitchfork and began shoveling the hay into the horse stalls in the barn. He had to finish his chores soon, as the sun was now coming up.

The barn work was quickly finished and he also collected the eggs for the morning breakfast. That chore had proved a bit harder as the chicken feathers were one of the catalysts to his allergies. He had managed to get out of that chore pretty easy today, stifling only two short sneezes into his elbow before hightailing it out of the chicken coop.

His next chore of cutting the grass around the sides of the farmhouse was the one he dreaded the most. He considered asking Luke to do it, but then realized that in doing so, he would end up with Luke's chore of cleaning out the pigsty and the goat's pen. Neither of those chores appealed to him.

So he went and hauled out the old mower. The small gasoline powered machine was a luxury to them, as most people still used the older hand-pushed ones. This one had been given to them as repayment for repainting a barn a few summers back. Mr. Dodson had just gotten himself a new fancy model and he was more than willing to part with the older one for some work from the Dukes.

Bo checked the gas in the motor and started it up. With luck, he would be done and back in the house before Daisy could even start breakfast.

Luck however was not with him. He had only just begun mowing when the scent of the freshly cut grass began it's work on his nose. Having already dealt with the chickens, his allergies were already in full swing.

He turned his head away from the mower and sneezed harshly. _"HehheChIshhh!! hah-Hahchuhh!!"_ He wiped under his nose with one hand and tried to push the mower on further but the grass tickled his nose too badly. "_Heh-eh_" he panted, trying to urge the sneeze out already. It was building slowly and itching like crazy. He stopped walking, and waved one hand in front of his face. "Come on al-already." He took a few more pre-sneeze breaths. _  
"Heh-eh-ahh,"_ It finally built to where he could release it fully. _"Heh-HEKT-Chuhhh!! Hah-KESHhhh!! Hehh-EKKTshhh!"_

He pulled out one of his own bandanas that he had taken to carrying around. He shook it open and wiped at his nose and eyes. The sneezing had made it hard for him to see. He blew his nose then started in on the mower again. This time he made it two more rows around the side before having to stop to sneeze again.

Half an hour later, he finished up one side and saw his cousin just coming outside. He raised one hand in greeting and began to work on the other side.

Luke stretched and walked around the side of the house to where Bo was headed. As he got closer he noticed Bo's reddened eyes. He sighed. "Bo."

Bo didn't hear him and continued to mow the other side of the house. Now that Luke was awake he wanted to get done quickly, so this time when the fierce tickle started up again, he simply turned his head to sneeze into his shoulder. "_Heh-EhhShooo!_" He sniffed once and pushed the mower forwards.

Luke watched as his cousin continued to battle the urge to sneeze and finish his chore. After three more half-stifled sneezes, he took pity on the younger boy and walked over to the mower. Bo hadn't seen him as he was still sneezing and had his eyes tightly closed. "_KEHT-Chhhh! Heh-KESHhhhh HehheChIshhh!!"_ Bo's blond head bobbed wildly.

Luke reached over and turned off the mower. "Bless you. Bo, why are you doing this? You didn't take your medication today, did you?"

Bo blew his nose again and crumpled up the bandana. "No, I didn't. And I'm not going to." He went to start the mower but Luke's hand on the switch deterred him. "Come on, Luke, I'm almost done." He stuffed the soggy cloth in his left back pocket.

"Why didn't you take them?" Luke asked with a frown.

Bo sighed and pushed Luke's hand away. "If you must know, they make me sick. They ain't helping any so why should I take them?"

"Alright then, let me finish this for you." Luke offered. "You go inside and take a break."

Bo refused to let go of the mower. "I've said it before, I don't need no babyin. I can finish this up just fine." His tone was harsh.

"I ain't babyin you, Bo. You've already done most of it, so you should take a break anyway." Luke again reached for the mower.

"Don't you have your own chores to be doin?" Bo asked angrily. He didn't want or need special treatment from anyone. He just wanted to be left alone to finish his chores like he always did.

"Fine,fine," Luke said as he gave up trying. He covered his hurt with a swallow. He had just been trying to help. "Do whatever you want, Bo." He turned away before his cousin could see the hurt in his eyes. He hated to see Bo suffering, and mowing the grass was really causing Bo some distress. He walked towards the pig pen and fetched the bucket that was going to hold the slops.

Bo started the mower back up and resumed his previous chore while Luke fed the pigs, cleaned the sty, milked the goats and cleaned their stalls. When he was done with his morning chores, he looked across the yard to find Bo hunched over the mower, sneezing harshly.

He shook his head and ran a hand through his dark hair. Why must his cousin be so foolish? Part of him wanted to check on Bo to make sure he was okay, yet part of him just wanted to leave the boy to his own torment. He asked for it after all.

Ten minutes later Daisy came out the door and called both boys in to breakfast. Bo had finished the yard and was putting away the mower, still sneezing occasionally. As Luke approached him to put away some tools he had been using to try to tune up the tractor, he noticed that Bo was forcing himself to sneeze if that was at all possible. Luke frowned as he watched his cousin insert a blade of grass in one nostril, sniff deeply and then sneeze harshly twice before repeating the process.

"What the hell are you doing?" Luke growled at the hunched over form of the boy that was more than kin to him. "Have you lost your mind?"

Bo held up one finger to halt Luke's outburst. _"KEHT-Chhhh! HahChuhh!!"_ He sniffed after removing the grass. "No, I haven't lost my mind, but I'm not about to be sneezing at the breakfast table." He brought a fist up to his face quickly and sneezed again onto it, this time unprovoked. "_hah-Hahchuhh!! Heh-EhhShooo!_" He quickly wiped his hand on his jeans. "My nose itches so badly and the sneezes were..." his breathing hitched as his face contorted yet again into the pre-sneeze look that was becoming commonplace on his face as of late. "_Heh-KESHhhhh!_" He turned his face away from Luke to sneeze bitterly towards the ground. He wiped his nose and tried to continue. "The sneezes were stuck so I thought I'd just help them get unstuck." He shrugged, a bit embarrassed that he had been caught.

"Oh." Luke said, at a loss for anything else to say. He turned away and walked towards the house, leaving Bo alone. When he got inside he greeted Daisy and Uncle Jessie with a smile. "I'm gonna go wash up for breakfast. The chores are all done."

Daisy started putting the food on the four plates already set up on the table. "Where's Bo?"

Luke shrugged and called back over his shoulder. "He should be along in a moment, he was putting the mower away when I left him."

When he came out of the bathroom he found Bo waiting outside the door. One glance at his cousin showed a still swollen face, red-rimmed eyes, and an expression of misery. He wanted to ask if Bo was alright, but instead he just stepped aside and let his cousin pass into the room.

Luke went and took his place at the table. Jessie looked up as he entered the room. "Is Bo comin? This food is gettin cold."

"He just went in the bathroom, he should be out in a moment," Luke said.

Sure enough, Bo came into the room less than five minutes later, his face a lot clearer, and his eyes a lot less swollen. Luke already knew that Bo must have been washing his face off with cold water for his appearance to be so normal looking.

Daisy took her seat and they all bowed their heads as their Uncle said the grace. Once that was done, the four Dukes then began to eat, keeping conversation to a minimum. Luke couldn't help but look over the table to his cousin, wondering if Bo had changed his mind and had taken the medication after all.

He watched as Bo kept his eyes carefully averted and on his plate, concentrating deeply on what appeared to be his food. Luke could see Bo's nostrils flare briefly and realized that his cousin was holding in his reactions to his morning chores. He was sure keeping to his word, Luke realized. Bo was not about to sneeze at the table.

That was, until the meal was over. Once Daisy stood and cleared the empty plates, Bo finally lost the battle and one small sneeze escaped his diligent efforts. "_HehheChIshhh!!_" He had managed to bring his napkin up in time and he blushed red. "Excuse me."

"God bless." Jessie offered. "I take it those medicines are working better? I've hardly seen you sneeze at all lately."

Bo caught Luke's eyes briefly as if to warn him from saying anything. "Uh, yes, Uncle Jessie," he said as he lowered his napkin. "Those medicines really do have an effect on me." Again his eyes darted towards his cousin.

"That's nice." Jessie said as he stood. "Glad to see they are working. Now I want you two boys to run into town and pick up a few things for me. Miz Tizdale has some letters that can't be delivered and Cooter has the replacement horn for the one wearin out in my truck."

"Sure thing, Uncle Jessie." Luke said, happy to have the conversation off the medicines.

He then followed Bo out of the house and over to the General. Bo was already climbing in the driver's seat, so Luke walked around and got in the passenger side. Bo started the car and drove off, happy to be away from the farm for a bit.

The ride towards town was in silence, and Bo already knew why. His cousin was angry with him for not telling the truth about the medicines. Well he didn't actually lie either, he just left out a lot of details.

"Luke," he started to say.

"Just keep it to yourself, okay, Cuz?" Luke said angrily. "I ain't gonna be a part and party to your lies this time. If you want to be miserable, that's your choice. I'm not gonna cover for you."

Bo sighed. "I ain't askin you to lie for me." His eyes flashed as his temper rose to match Luke's. "How do I just tell him that all the crop money was wasted on a bunch of pills that make me feel worse than the allergies do?"

"You just never learn, do you?" Luke stated. "You lied to him before and we were lucky we didn't get the switch that time. You like pushing your luck?" He stared angrily out the window. "Just leave me out of it."

"Alright, if that's what you want." Bo said, closing the conversation. The rest of the ride towards the town was in complete silence. Even when Bo sneezed once, from the wind in his face, the customary blessing was not offered.

They arrived in town and Luke went to pick up the mail at the post while Bo walked over to Cooter's garage. He found the mechanic under Rosco's cop car, tinkering with something. "Yo, Cooter, will you come on outta there?"

He heard a thud and then an 'ow' before seeing the legs inch out from under the car. Cooter appeared, and he was rubbing his head with one greasy hand. "Oh, hi, Bo."

"You okay?" Bo asked.

"Oh, I'm fine. You just startled me is all. What brings you to town?" Cooter questioned as he wiped his hands on a nearby rag that wasn't already covered in grease.

"We came to pick up Uncle Jessie's new horn for the pickup." Bo answered and walked over to the cop car. "What are you doing to Rosco's car now?" He peered into the engine compartment.

Cooter walked over to where a box was sitting on a workbench. "Oh nothing major. Rosco managed to crack the U-joint in the car while chasing y'all. You know you boys give me more work to do on these cars. If it wasn't for y'all I might not stay in business." He said with a small laugh as he picked up the box and carried it over.

"Well, I guess that's a good thing then." Bo returned the smile as he took the box. "Jessie will be happy to have this, as he can't stand to drive without his horn."

Cooter nodded and opened up a container of hand cleaner nearby. "Yeah. You tell him he was lucky to get it, as Atlanta was sold out. I had to get that one from Chickasaw." He dumped some of the liquid on his hands and began to rub them rapidly, dissolving the grease.

The hand cleaner was very pungent in the small enclosed garage. Bo had started to reply but was halted by the ever insistent tickle in his nose. He brought his fist up and turned away from Cooter. _"HahChuhh!! KEHT-Chhhh!" _

Cooter's eyebrows shot up to hide somewhere under his grimy baseball cap. He had never seen that reaction from Bo before. "Gesundheit."

Bo sniffed and wiped under his nose with his shirt sleeve. "Thanks." He turned to leave the garage, "I'd better get going and get this back to the farm."

"Alright, I'll catch you later then." Cooter said as Bo left the garage. He followed the younger man with his eyes, and saw Bo sneeze twice more as he climbed back into the General. Cooter looked over to the container of hand cleaner and sniffed it himself. It had a faint orange smell but nothing that would cause the reaction he got from Bo.

Shrugging to himself, he picked up his tools and went back to work on the car.

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	3. Confronting Luke

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Luke met Bo outside the post office as the General drove to pick him up. His arms were full with two packages and some letters. Luke shoved the packages into the back seat, tossed the mail on top and then climbed into the window and settled in the passenger seat.

"Did you get the horn?" Luke asked in order to break the thick silence that was filling the car.

"Of course I got the horn." Bo replied sarcastically.

"Fine, whatever." Luke clasped his hands together and rested them on his lap. This was going to be a long trip back to the farm.

Bo bit his lip as he drove. He didn't like fighting with his cousin, but he couldn't bring himself to be the one to hold out a truce. If he didn't want to take his meds, that was his choice. Why did everyone have to jump all over him?

What wasn't helping was the fact that his nose was itching again. Whether it was from what he had inhaled in Cooter's garage or just the fact that he was out in the open air, was unknown. He knew what Luke was going to think if he just started sneezing again. He didn't want to add any more fuel to the fire.

He reached into his back pocket for his bandana and realized with a sinking heart that he had left it in the bathroom this morning when he had washed his face. Great. He rubbed his nose on the cuff of his sleeve and sighed. Couldn't he even do anything right?

The itch grew worse and he rubbed at his nose, trying to forestall what he knew was coming. All he had to do was get home and then he could go into his room and sneeze his brains out. They were close enough to the farm now. Just a few more minutes.

**BANG! **

Bo jumped in his seat and nearly lost control of the car as the right rear tire blew. Luke had instinctively ducked in his seat thinking someone was shooting at them. Bo put the brakes on and pulled off the road. He turned the car off and got out. Luke followed him.

"Aw great," Bo moaned. "That was one of the new tires too." He said as he examined the damage.

"Well it's a good thing it's under warranty then." Luke said as he unlocked the trunk with his keys and pulled out the spare. "We'll just have to get it replaced next time we go back to town." He pulled out the jack and jacked up the car expertly.

Bo nodded as he got the lug wrench and began removing the lug nuts. He had no trouble loosening them until he got to the last one. It stubbornly refused to move. Bo grunted and groaned as he strained to get the darn thing off.

Luke scoffed. "What's the matter? You not strong enough for it?"

Bo stood and kicked the flattened tire. "Let's see you do it, hotshot."

Luke went over and pushed on the lug wrench until his hands hurt. "What the heck? Did you glue the darn thing on last time?"

"No, it wasn't me."

"Well it wasn't me either." Luke said with a grimace. His hands were smarting from trying so hard.

"Cooter." They both said at the same time as realization dawned. "He had that new air pressure wrench when he changed the tire." Luke said.

Bo sighed. He was hot, tired, frustrated and his nose was bothering him again. Now he really wanted to go home. He rubbed his nose again and wished for his bandana. If he could blow his nose, then maybe he wouldn't sneeze like he so badly wanted to do now.

"How about if we both try it together?" Luke asked, knowing that both their strength combined would either loosen the stubborn nut or break it off. Either way they would be able to change the tire.

"I guess." Bo said and sniffed. He could do this. He could help Luke. He wasn't going to sneeze. He put his hands on the wrench and waited until Luke put his on as well.

"On the count of three," Luke said. "One, two,"

It was at that moment that Bo's nose decided it had enough. Seeing how he was standing right next to the car, he had no place to turn his head. With very little warning a very strong sneeze chose that moment to make it's appearance. _"HEH-EHHSHOOO!!"_ The sneeze seemed to emanate from his toes as it burst out of him. He folded in half from the force of it and pressed harder on the wrench than he had considered possible.

The stubborn nut then loosened and spun off the bolt.

Luke blinked and looked at Bo in surprise. "Dang, Bo. God bless you." What had just happened had surprised him so much that he forgot that he had been mad at his cousin.

Bo was standing with the same look of surprise on his face. He wiped at his now running nose with one hand and then wiped that on the leg of his jeans. "Thanks." That one sneeze had felt like it was going to blow his nose right off his face.

Luke pulled the flattened tire off and put it in the trunk as Bo put on the new tire.

Luke the lowered the car as Bo tightened the nuts. Once all the equipment was in the trunk and it was closed, both boys got back in the car.

Bo was sniffing again. "Dang it," he said as he tried to keep from swearing. He sighed and turned to Luke. "Look, I'm sorry, Cuz."

"Sorry?" Luke asked, puzzled. "What for?"

"For getting you mad at me earlier. I know you mean well, but unless you are suffering as much as I am from these dang blasted allergies, I don't know how you can relate to me." He sniffed again, very much needing now to blow his nose. He looked around the inside of the car, but it was empty. He sighed again. "You wouldn't happen to have something on you that I can use to blow my nose, would ya?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I would. You only had to ask," Luke said as he pulled out a handkerchief from his back pocket. "I'm getting in the habit of carrying those for you." He said as he handed it over.

Bo nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Cuz."

Luke waited until Bo had cleared his nose and then smiled. "Will you please let Jessie know the medicines aren't working? Maybe he can get that city doctor to prescribe something else."

Bo shook his head. "I'm tired of pills, and tired of sneezing and tired of allergies. I don't want any more pills."

"Well, why don't you tell him that?" He put one hand on Bo's arm to stop him from starting the car. "How will they know if you don't tell them? The doctor can only fix what you tell him is wrong. They ain't mind readers, you know."

"Yeah I know." He said with a sad smile. "I know you are right, Luke. I just hate all of this."

"That's understandable." Luke said. "But the sooner you let them know, the sooner you can be feeling better once and for all." He reached over and started the car. "Let's go."

Bo pulled out and drove off. He knew he was going to have to tell his Uncle. He just wasn't looking forward to another office visit.

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	4. Facing Uncle Jessie

----------

Jessie sighed as he looked from Bo to Luke. "Let me get this straight, the medicines aren't working." He pointed to Luke. "And you knew about this and didn't tell me?"

Luke sighed. Here it came again. He was going to catch heat for something Bo did. He didn't bother to deny it

Bo picked his head up from where it was hanging. "No, Uncle Jessie. I only told him today and he convinced me to tell you. I was going to try again with another day, but I was really tired of feeling sick, drowsy or sneezy."

Jessie stared at Bo. "Well that means another visit to the doctor."

"Can't we just go see Doc Applebee?" Bo asked, trying hard not to whine. "I don't want to go back to Atlanta. That guy didn't really help me and I don't think he can."

Jessie nodded his head. "Alright, then. We will go see Doc Applebee tomorrow."

Bo started to smile but at his Uncle's next words the smile slid off his face.

"One more time you lie to me boy, and I'm gonna take your hide back behind the woodshed and teach you the meaning about truth." Jessie growled at Bo.

"Yes, sir." Bo said meekly. He brought his hand up to cover his face as a sneeze chose that time to show itself. "_HahChuhh!!_"

"Bless you," Luke said at the same time Jessie said, "God bless."

Bo blushed a deep red. "Thanks." He wiped his hand on his jeans.

"Now both of you, get out of my sight for now. Go find something productive to do while staying out of trouble." Jessie said as he left the room.

"Come on, lets go outside where you can sneeze freely all you want while we work on the General." Luke said with a smile in his voice. "I'll make sure to bring the hankies."

Bo smiled as he followed his cousin out of the house. "I guess I barely skimmed that one."

"Yeah, you got lucky. Next time you might not, so you better be careful from now on. I don't think he's kidding when it comes to these allergies of yours." Luke went and popped the hood on the General and lifted it.

"Oh you don't have to worry about that. There isn't going to be a next time." Bo leaned over and checked something in the engine. "If what Doc Applebee does for me doesn't help, I'm saying something right away."

"Yeah, yeah I'll believe that when I see it."

Bo picked up a rag and tossed it playfully at his cousin. Life sure was better when he wasn't keeping secrets, he realized. For the first time in four days he felt better.

They spent the rest of the afternoon working on the car and the tractor and for once, staying out of trouble. If anyone would have passed the farm they would have heard happy laughter from two country cousins that thought the world of each other.

It wasn't a bad way to spend an afternoon.

-End


End file.
